Peter Gardner:Candidates in East Gippsland sign Science Pledge

A science pledge was recently circulated to the large field of candidates in the East Gippsland Shire Elections by Peter Gardner. Gardner, also a candidate in the election, copied the pledge from Shawn Otto’s book The War on Science held by the EGS Library. Otto noted that "Science is our very best tool against prejudice and unexamined attitudes…"

There are five major proposals in the pledge but the main purpose of it is to base shire decision making on evidence and best science. That public-policy decisions are based on "well-established evidence produced by science" and NOT by personal opinion, political objectives, ideological positions or economic interests. It is probably the latter that holds sway in local government politics at the moment.

Six candidates have signed the pledge to make a "commitment to science and evidence as the foundation of the democratic process" and "as the basis for sound, effective and equitable public policy." They are Jes John of Bruthen, Deb Foskey of Bonang, Jackson Roberts of Bairnsdale, Jeremy Schroder of Paynesville, Catherine Pirrie of Mallacoota and Gardner, formerly of Ensay and now resident in Bairnsdale.

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